Helping God Out 20 Mountain Life Church LIFE PACK Message #4 in The Friend of God series. May 22, 2011
Helping God Out Sermon Notes Genesis 16-17 17 I. When God Delays (Genesis 16:1-6) A. Our Character is Revealed 1. Sarai manipulates and avoids responsibility 2. Abram placates and abdicates responsibility 3. Hagar becomes arrogant and condescending B. The Tendency to Help God Out 1. Our desires motivate us to get our needs met outside of and before God s provision. 2. When God delays, we think we must finagle something in order to see His will be done. II. The God of Mercy A. No rebuke 1. God did not rebuke Abram, Sarai, and Hagar for their sinful attitudes 2. God deals with people where they are. These people are just getting to know the things of God B. Hagar Meets God 1. Note that God identifies Hagar as Sarai s handmaid. 2. God is a question asker 3. In this case, God asks Hagar a deep question to show her the destiny He has in mind for her III. Abram s Other Nation A. God Tells Hagar: 1. She will have a son 2. God has a specific name for Ishmael. Write any notes from the week here 2 19
B. A Wild Donkey of a Man 1. Ishmael s spirit of rejection 2. A nation of rage Teens Meal One: As a family read Genesis 16, then discuss the following: To have a child out of wedlock (not in a covenant of marriage) was accepted in the culture of the ancient Middle East, which is similar in today s world. Describe your feelings on this matter. Meal Two: When we try to do things on our own and try to get ahead of God, like Sarai we sometimes pay an emotional price for doing what is culturally accepted. Describe what are consequences that you may have to pay for when you try to make things happen on your own and not obey God (in areas of relationships and sex). Meal Three: God is full of grace and mercy even when we try to do things on our own. Describe how he shows his grace and mercy toward Hagar. Memory Verse: She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: You are the God who sees me, for she said, I have now seen the One who sees me. ~Genesis 16: 13 III.Biblical Principles A. God wishes to provide what I can do nothing to get 1. Abram was rich, and could purchase whatever he wanted, but he could not get a son for an heir 2. When God delays, I try to find a way to help Him B. When God delays, we go to default 1. Abram went to passivity 2. Sarai went to manipulation 3. Hagar went back to her resentment 4. I must allow God to be Lord over my old ways of coping C. God meets us where we are 1. Hagar was amazed that God saw her in the midst of her miserable circumstances 2. God is more interested in setting my spirit free than in freeing me from my circumstances 3. God is more interested in submission than most of us understand 4. Submission determines promotion in God s kingdom 5. Ishmael and Isaac represent the eternal battle between faith and works, between humility and pride, and between grace and earning 18 3
Life Group Questions for May 22 - The Friend of God Series - Message = Helping God Out Ice Breaker: Tell the group about an outlandish or huge Christmas gift you received or gave. Read Genesis 16 1. What do you observe about this passage? 2. What specifically speaks to you about this chapter? 3. When God delays in doing what He says He will do, our tendency is to go back to our old defaults. Abram went back to passivity in leading his wife. Sarai went into manipulation and blaming. Full of bitterness at her circumstances, Hagar went back to vindictiveness. What is your default when God tarries? 4. If God asked you, Where have you come from, and where are you going?, what would be your response? 5. Have two people tell their story of how they came to become a follower of Jesus. (10 minutes each) Pray for each other. Elementary: Meal 1: Read Genesis chapter 16 as a family. Talk about how Sarai was impatient and did not want to wait for God s timing. What is something that you are impatient about? Meal 2: When Sarai and Abram were impatient for a child, they tried to make it happen on their own. Look back at Genesis 16, how did that work out for them? Do you think that they should have waited for God to provide what He said He would? Remember the thing that you are impatiently waiting for? Are you waiting for God to provide or are you trying to make it happen on your own? Meal 3: Abram and Sarai s decision to not wait on God not only affected them but it also affected an entire population of people. Think about the thing that you are impatient about, if you try to take care of it on your own, who other than you might it affect? 4 17
Personal Devotion Pages This section of our curriculum is aimed at helping parents disciple their own children. We hope you will take a few evenings a week to open the scriptures and talk to your kids about kingdom things. You can mix and match these ideas to meet the needs of your family s children. Babies through preschool: Table Talk: Talk about God s promises with your children and how we have to wait for God to fulfill those promises. Sarai tried to fulfill God s promise through her maidservant Hagar and that was not God s plan. Ask or discuss with your children about how much time do we wait for something. For example we must learn to wait for family dinner and not just make our own snacks. Emphasize that God keeps his promises and we should wait and listen to God. Bible Verse: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23) Prayer: Our Father in heaven, thank you for your faithfulness in keeping your promises. Help us to be faithful in keeping our prom- ises to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The following pages are designed to help you to enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their walk with God. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a daily basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. In order to help you worship the Lord, read Psalm 46 3. Psalm 46 speaks of God being our refuge in the midst of great calamity and trouble. Take time to hide yourself under His wings today, and thank Him that He is your shield and protector. Cast all your cares on Him. 4. Ask God to show you how you have tried to make things happen apart from Him. Write down what you hear in this space. Meditate on and memorize Psalm 46: 1 this week Meditate on and memorize Psalm 46: 1-2, and verse 10 this week. Meditate on and memorize Psalm 46 this week. A year after this story in Genesis 16, Ishmael was born. His name means, God hears. Hagar came away from the wilderness of Shur with a sure knowledge of the living God. She called God, The One Who Sees Me, and called her son, God hears. She who hated her station in life as a slave found that her significance did not come from her status, but from being recognized and loved by God. She found a sure friend in the wilderness of Shur. God spoke to her there, giving her a mixture of good and bad news. Her son would be the father of a great nation, but he would be a wild one--free and untamed as a wild donkey! He will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live at odds with the rest of his brothers." (Genesis 16: 12). How would you like to hear from God that your coming child would grow up to be a stubborn mule-head, and would rage against everyone, living at odds with his family? I think I would have tried to make a deal with God about that one. I m not so sure I would have just accepted that But Hagar was already learning the beautiful virtue of submission. She accepted the words of God without negotiating. Something happens to us when we meet the living God - even if his words are not full of daisies. Just encountering Him changes us. His sure words in the wilderness of Shur transformed a slave girl into a woman of value and vision. Father, meet with me today and speak to me. Help me to know that you see me and hear me. 6 15
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. We find the characters in Genesis 16 to be far from perfect. Yet, God pursues them and blesses them. Do you ever think God does not bless you because you are not perfect? Take some time to accept by faith God s grace and kindness today. He takes greater joy in your faith than in your perfection. 4. If God asked you, Where have you come from, and where are you going?, what would be your response? 5. Finish memorizing your verses today. See if you can quote your memory verses or passage to a friend or spouse. Well, ten long years have passed. God promised a child to Abram, and well, still nothing. Sarai is a third party in this whole God and Abram thing. She knows Abram has conversations with this invisible God. She is probably very used to the idea that god s are encased in cast and or carved idols. This god has no idol, talks only to Abram, and seems to promise things that don t happen. Sarai has a brainstorm. Let s see if I can help things work out for Abram. If I let him marry my maid, Hagar, he can have a child through her! The problem with this is that she is talking about a God who doesn t need any help. Abram seems to be numb and passive at this point. He does what Sarai suggests and takes Hagar as his second wife. He impregnates her. Meanwhile, Hagar, who is dealing with her own dissatisfaction with her station in life, takes on a vengeful attitude toward Sarai. Sarai gets her feelings hurt and complains to Abram, blaming the whole mess on him. The reader works through this with a real sense of Wow, these were very real people, combined with the sensation you get when watching daytime television. And this is a story of God s chosen people! This is the story of the giant of faith - Abraham! I thought the guy could even face kryptonite, but here we see that even he can fall prey to the classic blunder - doing things apart from God s wisdom and direction! Father, I can fall prey so easily to independence. I reassert my dependence upon You this day. Apart from You I can do nothing. Please protect me from going my own way! 14 7
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. Genesis 16. Write down anything that stands out to you here. 3. Think about how God has spoken to you in special ways lately, and thank Him for loving you and speaking to you. 4. Ask God these things based on your ability: Ask God to show you how to hear His voice today. Ask God to speak to you today, and then to confirm that it is Him through the Scripture. Ask God what He is doing around you today, and ask Him to show you how you can get in on what He is doing. 5. When God delays in doing what He says He will do, our tendency is to go back to our old defaults. Abram went back to passivity in leading his wife. Sarai went into manipulation and blaming. Full of bitterness at her circumstances, Hagar went back to vindictiveness. What is your default when God tarries? Hagar stands out as an interesting picture of GRACE in the Old Testament. She is no one special - she is a slave, and a vindictive one at that. While Sarai and Abram had been waiting and waiting for God to speak, He shows up and speaks only to Sarai s handmaid, Hagar. And that was after all of them had behaved badly. None of them deserved grace. None deserved a visit from God. As Hagar ran away from her mistress, God met her. Indubitably, she thought she was the victim. Sarai was such a mean mistress! Yet, the scripture is not silent about Hagar s own despicable attitude of arrogance against Sarai. Yet God did not meet her with discipline. He met her with a kind question. He filled her with hope, vision, and direction. Then He commanded her to go home and to change her attitude toward Sarai. He didn t tell her what we would like to have heard. I kinda would like to have heard Him say, Yeah, Hagar! I know why you re so angry! The institution of slavery is so evil! You need your freedom, girl! Get outta town, and get away from this injustice as fast as your feet will take you! Yet, God is not so much into changing our outward circumstances as He is in to changing hearts. God actually commanded Hagar to go back to slavery! And to do it with a submissive, respectful, kind heart! Oh God, though I want my circumstances to change, I know what really needs to change is me. Show me how to respond to my troubles with a heart of submission, kindness, and love. I choose to give grace today. Continue memorizing the verses for the week. 8 13
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. Read James 4: 1-8. Typically, when we want something, and we don t get it, we stoop to old habits of manipulation or passivity. James shows us that the problems lie in our pleasures. When we try to make something happen, that s when conflict arises. Can you think of any ways you have been manipulating, or being spiritually passive? If these motives are causing conflict, take time to ask God how to reconcile that situation. 3. Ask God to meet your needs today. Write your needs down here. 4. If you are married, take time to pray for your spouse. Ask God: How can I honor my spouse today? How can I serve my spouse today? What has my spouse been saying to me that I m not listening to? Show me how to unconditionally accept and love my spouse today. If you are single: pray for a coworker: How can I honor my co-worker today? How can I serve them in kindness? Lord, show me how to share my relationship with You with my coworker today. 5. Continue memorizing the verses for this week. Women are so incredibly efficient! They can multi task like a super computer, make things happen when there seems no way, and they can be trusted to come through when so many men just quit. Yet, Sarai teaches us that while women have amazing strengths, those very strengths can be their greatest weaknesses too. Sarai and Abram had everything. They were very rich. Yet, she was barren. The very thing they could not purchase or make happen themselves, God had promised - but that was 10 years ago! As a woman, she perhaps thought that God was waiting for her to make something happen. God helps those who help themselves was probably Sarai s motto. Since God was not coming through with His promise, Sarai took matters into her own hands. As a result, she got a vindictive handmaid, a passive husband, and a son (Ishmael) whose descendents would war continuously with the child from her body (Isaac). God, teach me to be still, and know You are God. Teach me to wait on You. Though you are never late, You don t ever seem to work on my timetable. I wait for You to have Your way today. Teach me patience and humility, O Lord. 12 9
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. Re-read Genesis 16 today, and ask God to show you any new insights today. Write them down here. 3. When Hagar was harshly treated by Sarai, she ran away. God spoke to her and injected her with hope, vision, and encouragement. He told her to go back to her slavery! God encouraged her to submit to her master, Sarai. Can you think of any way you are running from something rather than choosing to submit? Write down your answer here. Abram was wise in so many ways. Yet, in Genesis 16 we find God silent and seemingly inactive. Perhaps he needed some encouragement from someone. It s always wise for a man to listen to his wife. Yet, her words must be weighed against scriptural principles, because she too is fallible and mortal. Sarai had an idea for them to get what God had promised. Abram did not yet know that such ideas needed to be bounced off of God. He numbly and ignorantly did what Sarai suggested. Abram had become passive. Spiritual passivity is the hallmark of many American men. We tend to leave the God stuff to our wives. For that matter, many men turn over most of the relational activity to the womenfolk. The Bible teaches men to be initiative takers, risk takers, and grace givers. Yet, for many of us, we would rather sit passively by while those things are relegated and delegated to women; who gladly take them up, but secretly lose respect for their husbands. Robert Lewis says it best when he says, Real men reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and expect the greater reward, God s reward. 4. Continue memorizing the verses for this week. Walking with God is like rowing a canoe upstream. When I stop rowing, I don t just sit still. The current immediately takes me backward. Passivity must be rejected daily, hour by hour, and sometimes even moment by moment. Father, show me where I ve become passive in my walk with You. I repent from my lack of initiative, and for getting wrapped up in the things of this world. Today, I run to You my King! 10 11